KCCA to get sh33.5b for city roads

By Mary Karugaba

The ministry of Works and Transport has earmarked sh33.5b to repair and maintain city roads in the next fiscal year.

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) will also use the money to work on various roads, streets and highways in the five divisions of Kampala City.

Works minister Abraham Byandala said the money will focus mainly on bad spots on the roads.

Byandala told MPs on Physical Infrastructure Committee that the money will only cater for city roads and not those within the Kampala Metropolitan area.

“We know there are a number of roads that seriously need to be worked on. But this money is only for city roads,” he said.

He was responding to concerns raised by MPs on the state of city roads and the ministry’s plan to rehabilitate them.

MP Ibrahim Ssemujju complained that the ministry of works had neglected city roads and handed them to KCCA which had no adequate funds.

Other MPs however complained that KCCA in the last financial year was given sh29b for road repairs but only sh7b was spent by December2012.

The MPs wondered whether the Ministry of Works had the mechanisms to supervise and monitor KCCA by ensuring there is value for money spent.

“How will the ministry ensure value for money yet the sector does not supervise KCCA?” MP Waira Majegere asked.

During the meeting, the MPs complained that the ministry supplied “junk” district road equipment which they said, were already down barely two years down the road.

MP Amos Mandera said, “people at the districts are already complaining that the equipment were junk from India. Right now they are grounded and have not done the work they were purchased to do.”

His arguments were supported by Ssemujju who said the districts had no fuel to run the equipment.

Last year government supplied road equipment, comprising of dump trucks, graders, wheel loaders, excavators, dozers and low bed loaders supplied by FAW, a Chinese firm to provide the answer to the poor state of roads.

 State Minister for Works John Byabagambi blamed the district officials for spoiling the machines saying the use them for heavy duties.

Byabagambi said he is on a countrywide tour of the districts to check the conditions and the performance of the equipment.

“I have got this complaint from almost all the districts I have visited. But the problem is with the district officials who use the machines for heavy work for example demolishing buildings, uprooting trees yet the machines are only meant for light work,” he said.

Byabagambi said the ministry had requested the ministry of Finance for about sh50b for more equipment.